


Again, He's Wrong

by Sakamichi



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, One-Sided Tachibana Makoto/Nanase Haruka, Unrequited Love, mentioned rinharu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-19
Updated: 2014-08-19
Packaged: 2018-02-13 20:08:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2163564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sakamichi/pseuds/Sakamichi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Makoto doesn't want to admit he's jealous. But he's not the only one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Again, He's Wrong

**Author's Note:**

> im not sure abt this but ok whatever

It was painfully obvious, Haru and Rin are in love with each other. That much Makoto can tell. He can't even try denying it, everything happening currently is hinting at that fact.

Tachibana Makoto is sitting on a bench nearby Samezuka's huge pool, seemingly listening to Nagisa and Rei talking to him about some stuff he isn't sure if he's interested in. He's not. He's watching Haruka as the latter pout at something Rin said. The two are still in the water, taking a quick break from having raced against each other for about 5 times already.

Makoto smiles. No matter how Haru tries to keep his poker face, he knows he's enjoying himself with the company of Samezuka's captain. Rin on the other hand can't even tear his sight away from Haruka.

It was a beautiful scene between two people who haven't realized their true feelings for each other yet. Makoto sighs. He has no hope. He can't win this.

Haru will never look at him like that.

He excuses himself from the two chattering underclassmen, then hearing them mutter an "Eeeh??". He offers them an apologetic smile, saying something like "It won't take long," or something along those lines.

He's lying. He does intend it to take long, whatever that is. All he knows is that he needs to be somewhere. Anywhere other than that place. Anywhere far away from the image of Haru and Rin together. Because he knows it's wrong to feel this way when two of his closest friends are happy together. It's wrong to feel this way when Haru, the one he loves so much, is happy. Happy with someone other than him.

Makoto's chest hurts.

He's never selfish. That's how other people describe him. He likes to think so, himself. They're wrong. He's wrong. He is selfish.

He wants Haru.

He wants Haru to look only at him. He wants Haru to depend solely upon him. He wants Haru all to himself.

He feels tears forming in his eyes.

Makoto looks around him, and he doesn't recognize where he is. Somehow his feet have brought him to wherever this is. All he knows is that he's still somewhere inside Samezuka Academy, but he's away from Haru, away from everyone, and that's all that matters.

"Tachibana?"

Again, he's wrong.

Makoto searches for the owner of the voice, but his eyes are teary and everything he sees is blurred.

"What are you doing here?" the voice asks. Whoever that is walks in Makoto's direction and for a moment he thought of running away. Again.

Makoto wipes his tears away using the back of his hands. He recognizes this person. Yamazaki Sousuke?

"Aren't you supposed to be in joint-practice? The pool isn't anywhere around here."

"Ah, I'm sorry," Makoto says as he examines his surroundings once more. He's in a gym? "As expected of a swimming powerhouse..."

Sousuke chuckles. It's too late when Makoto realized that he accidentally said his thoughts out loud.

"So? Why are you here?" Sousuke asks.

Makoto doesn't know how to answer. So he asks him the same question instead. "Why are YOU here, Yamazaki?"

Sousuke looks at him while trying not to laugh, "This is my school, Tachibana."

"Oh," Makoto smiles. "I mean, why are you not in practice?"

The taller teen shrugs and sits on a nearby bench. He picks up a bottled water and drinks half of its content. Only then did Makoto realize that Sousuke was in the middle of working out when he came. He feels guilty for disturbing him.

"I don't want to see some people there," Sousuke replies. "And I don't feel like swimming today, anyway."

"By 'some people', did you mean Haru?" Makoto can't keep himself from asking. He knows there's something weird going on between the two, but Haru hasn't told him anything about it yet.

Sousuke snorts, "of course you'd know." He pats the space beside him, inviting the other teen to sit with him. Makoto had just been seated when Sousuke added, "I'm assuming you're here because you don't want to see him with Rin?"

The backstroke swimmer stiffens at that question. He tries to look away. "Not really..."

"So you're here because you want to see me?"

Makoto's mouth opens in shock, "What?"

"I was just kidding, Tachibana." Sousuke adjusts his sitting position in a way that he can look at the swimmer beside him. His face becomes serious. "Quit lying, you're jealous, right?"

Makoto doesn't want to answer. He can't. 

Sousuke sighs. "Do you know the reason why I don't like Nanase?"

Makoto pretends he doesn't hear him. He doesn't want to talk about Haru or Rin or anything anymore. The heavy feeling he had earlier is coming back.

"I didn't like him at first because I thought he was a threat to Rin's dreams," Sousuke admits. "I thought I was the only one who understood how much Rin wanted to achieve his dreams, and I had to do everything I can to help him. So I confronted Nanase."

The usually gentle features of Makoto changed to an upset one as his attention snapped back to the Samezuka third-year. "What did you do?"

"I told him to not ever get in Rin's way again," Sousuke looks down. "But look at them now. They're happy, aren't they? There's nothing else I can do. I just decided it's all okay now as long as Rin's satisfied. How about you start thinking of it that way, too?"

"I..." Makoto drops his elbows to his knees. He hides his face in between his palms, unsure why he's talking about this to someone he's not exactly friends with. "...It's not that easy. I... I don't know what I'll be without Haru."

"I know," Sousuke looks away from the upset Makoto. "I understand, Tachibana."

"I'm selfish, aren't I?"

"You're not," The butterfly and freestyle swimmer assured him. "You're not as selfish as you think you are. You're very selfless, actually." He looks at Makoto and pats his head, "that's what I like about you."

Makoto, surprised, looks at Sousuke.

"I still don't like Nanase, but it's not because of Rin's dreams anymore." Sousuke smiles bitterly, "he's interfering with my own dreams now." He stood up as he said that and walked away, "Nice talking with you, Tachibana."

**Author's Note:**

> why,,, did i write this,,,  
> (this is my first fanfic omg im sorry this is very self-indulgent)


End file.
